1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure and claims relate generally to the fields of communications, networked systems, financial systems and more particularly to novel systems and methods for distributing information among specialists, transforming collective knowledge into fungible financial commodities, and distributing fungible financial commodities in novel ways, including according to an intellectual contribution.
2. Description of the Related Art
The pharmaceutical and medical device industries currently rely upon several models for knowledge gathering from physicians, including individual experts, small focus groups, and larger scale survey models. In these models, an entity seeking information faces costs associated with identifying suitable experts, assembling proper panels, and analyzing any results. Also, models involving smaller pools of experts may be efficient but may not reflect the broader opinion of all end-users. For example, in addition to the statistical challenges presented by the use of small groups or individuals, experts participating in this way are more likely to provide opinions that they believe will curry favor with the known or assumed sponsor of the survey.
While a large survey may be more readily structured to avoid statistical anomalies and the large size may hide member bias, large panels may suffer from a dilution of expertise. Also, although this effect can be seen with all of the models, large panels may be particularly vulnerable to superficial or incomplete responses because larger panels are even less likely to provide time-constrained physicians and experts some of the inducements, such as networking or prestige, that smaller panels or individual consulting arrangement might provide.
For these and other reasons, receiving useful feedback from experts can be expensive and difficult. Yet, accessing expertise is increasingly useful, not least because experts are increasingly specialized while market advances and developments are increasingly affected by interactions among diverse domains and diverse specialties within a domain.
Effective solicitation and analysis of responsive survey feedback is particularly important in sectors such as biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, at least in part because the members of the survey panels are both the target market (or strong influencers of the target market) and experts with knowledge or insight into the properties of the products in question. Proper acquisition and analysis of information can lead to benefits such as appropriate market tailoring, improved branding and market penetration upon product launch, and a more efficient use of limited R& D and marketing resources.
There are several internet-based companies that collect data and information from registered physicians through the use of query-based software and hardware (e.g., Sermo, Epocrates, Leerink Swann, and Gerson Lehrman Group). Such entities pay registered experts when those experts participate in a survey, generally without regard to the quality or accuracy of the information provided and without reflecting the ongoing or future value of that information to the recipient or to the market. In addition, there are various industry, academic, professional, and regulatory guidelines that presently restrict the interaction and direct financial relationships between physicians and the medical industry.
The biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries and medical professional, as well as other industries and associated experts, would benefit from alternative systems and methods for operating. It would be useful to provide an incentive to physicians sufficient to induce them to devote the time, attention, and effort necessary to provide quality feedback and answers to questions. Medical experts and others who possess highly desirable knowledge would benefit from a mechanism that allowed them to efficiently maintain ownership of or benefit directly from their own expertise. Because the value of such information can be amplified by aggregating it, it would also be advantageous to be part of an organization that equitably and efficiently leveraged the group's collective expertise. It can also be beneficial to an expert if expertise is not only disseminated for a pre-defined fee, but is instead valued at least in part by the market value of the use to which it is put, especially if a mechanism for doing so does not run afoul of the ethical, legal, and logistical barriers that exist. If those with expertise are better motivated to provide more and better information, then consumers of that information will be rewarded by access to it and will benefit from new systems and methods for interacting with these new organizations of experts and for participating in the motivational compensation systems.